ACCIDENTAL DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 104, 29 October 1925, Page 16

ACCIDENTAL DEATH

THE PAEKAKARIKI FATALITY.

An inquest -was held yesterday afternoon by the Coroner (Mr. W. G. Riddoll, S.M.) into the death of Leslie Arthur Driver, aged 16 months, who died in the Wellington Hospital on Monday morning last as the result of injuries sustained at Paekakariki on Sunday.

Dr. Bolt,' house surgeon at Wellington Hospital, said that deceased, when admitted, was unconscious and remained in that condition until 7.10 a.m. on Monday, when he died. Death, in his opinion, was due to shock and severe .injuries to deceased's head, chest, and arm.

Christina Brown Swan said that she was walking aloug a road by the railway lino by Packstkariki at 5.15 p.m. on Sunday when she saw the child lying near the line, severely injured. Sho summoned assistance from a near-by house. A train had just passed a few seconds before.

Thomas Gollop, in whose care the child had been {or some months, said that he was at the back of his house when he heard deceased was injured. Ho immediately had the child removed to the Wellington Hospital. There was only a wire fence between his house and the line.

Senior-Sergeant' Lander stated 'that the Railway Department had made inquiries, and no marks had been found on the engine which passed before the child was found, nor did the driver or fireman romember seeing deceased on the line. In returning a verdict, . the Coronetsaid that apparently the accident happened in a few minutes. Evidently the child strayed down on to the line and was struck by a train. There- were no marks on the train and the train crew had not seen anything, but it was evident that the child had been struck by the cow-catcher. The accident was purely accidental and regrettable. The verdict would be that deceased died from injuries received through being accidentally knocked down by a railway train. No blame was attachable to a-nv-onc.